Going Scarf Crazy

I've had this black Pashmina for years and it's big and soft and warm and cozy I and love it. I ordered a couple of different colored ones from the same website a while ago, and I didn't like them. They didn't feel like that were the same quality as my black one. I sent them back.

Still, I wanted to expand my Pashmina wardrobe--fall is here; it's cold outside and in my office, so they are a really useful accessory. I clicked around online for a while and found Nimli, a site that features clothes, accessories and other items for the "natural, organic & green lifestyle."

They offered a huge array of wraps of all kinds, in wool, Pashmina and silk, solid and ombre, embellished and plain.

I got this cashmere Pashmina shawl in the blue pictured here, and in shades of rosey pink. It feels luxurious, like I'd-love-to-use-it-as-a-blanket soft.


I got this silk ruffle scarf in black (I had a hard time choosing a color) and I adore it. I'll be wearing this all winter.


Finally, I got a silk chiffon wrap in plum. (I wore this to work yesterday with a black boatneck dress from the Gap.) This is my least favorite. It's flimsy--as is all chiffon--and already has a snag. The silk doesn't feel particularly soft. The color is great, however.


I'd shop through this site again because overall I'm pleased with the products. I also like a lot of the clothing and jewelry offered on the site. Plus the shipping is free. However the items took forever to arrive. Three weeks after my AmEx had been charged, still no scarves. I emailed Nimli customer service, and the items arrived two days later, so I'm hoping it was a flukey glitch.

Preparing for Fall, Thinking About Sweaters

Although it's still the height of summer, the days have been cooler and less himid the last few weeks and I can see the September light at the end of the summer-tunnel. Before I know it, autumn will be here, and that means one thing: sweaters. Cozy, warm wool, cotton and cashmere..I cannot wait to put them on to shield me from cool fall breezes.

I've made my first sweater purchase of the season, a cashmere wrap sweater from Banana Republic, pictured below in coral. I got it in black during last weekend's summer sale at BR. This is a great wardrobe staple--it's thin enough to roll up and carry in my bag, and it's versatile in that it can be wrapped several ways or worn long and drapey in front.


I've decided that each fall I should purchase one sweater I deem spectacular and special. Last year it was this one, an olive green, asymmetrical, boiled wool dream hoodie from Anthropologie. It can be buttoned myriad ways, and kills the need for a scarf under my winter coats. And it's super warm as well as interesting. It may be my favorite item in my closet. (I purchased this full price during a spell of emotional shopping and still refer to it as my I-had-to-lay-off-four-people sweater, but that doesn't make me love it any less.)



This fall, I think I may have found my spectacular sweater, or at least one to put in the running. It's this asymmetrical (do you sense a pattern) wool cardigan with appliquéd flowers bursting from shoulder to hem. I've tried it on in store and it's an excellent fit for me--the slight flare and nipped in waist flatter, and the length is just right. The color, too, is fab. (And I even saw one in my size with a broken button, so perhaps a I could get it discounted.)


I'll keep looking for that grand sweater in which to invest and hope that this one won't sell out too quickly. I must note that the current crop of fall Anthropologie sweaters is fantastic compared to these from last year.

Why I Love the J. Crew Catalog

I don't shop at J. Crew very often. I just don't think about stopping in--the store is at the end of The Mall I don't go to much. And when I do shop there I don't quite like the vibe or the price tags.

I do, however, love getting the J. Crew catalog. I often flip through it while I'm in the bathroom or eating lunch and conjure J. Crew fantasies, being transported inside the catalog to participate in the lovely vignettes the J. Crew model must surely be enjoying...

My long, silky blond hair (I'm always blond in J. Crew fantasies) is blown by the gentle breeze as I wander through the gardens of my Connecticut pool house. I've just unpacked my suitcase full of candy-colored mix-and-match bikinis and a rainbow of summer-weight cashmere cardigans that perfectly compliment my low slung khakis which offer just a hint of my lovely mid-section (my tummy is always impossibly flat in J. Crew fantasies). I dream about tomorrow--I'll don my swiss dot wrap dress, wellies and Italian poplin blazer as I pick wild flowers and tuck them into my sunny yellow tote. Then it's lunch by the water with my tremendoulsly gorgeous husband. Oh those madras trousers do wonders for him! Ahh, I love my perfect J. Crew life!

(I also love the necklace in this photo.)